84R5431 WG-D
By: Smith H.R. No. 192
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Dr. Willis Thomas Jones Jr. of Baytown is deserving
of highest commendation for the valiant service he rendered to his
state and his nation during World War II; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Jones enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces in
November 1941, just one month prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor; he attended flight school and graduated from Armor School
in April 1942, at which time he was commissioned a second
lieutenant; shortly thereafter, he was assigned to one of the first
B-17 bomber groups to head to England for the war; in the fall of
1942, his unit was detached from the VIII Bomber Command in England
and sent to serve in the North African campaign, which culminated in
the surrender of the Axis forces under General Erwin Rommel in May
1943; Dr. Jones was subsequently assigned to the 15th Air Force and
based in Italy, where he arrived on December 25, 1943; after flying
numerous missions as a gunner, he assumed the role of bombardier;
and
WHEREAS, On July 26, 1944, while Dr. Jones was flying his
45th combat mission of the war, his bomber squadron was attacked by
a group of German fighters over Vienna, Austria; the assault
destroyed his plane and killed the crew's pilot, copilot, and
engineer, but Dr. Jones was able to bail out of the aircraft at
22,000 feet, after all remaining crew members had ejected; although
miraculously unharmed, he was quickly captured by enemy forces and
taken to the Stalag Luft I prisoner of war camp near Barth, Germany;
there, he endured several months of imprisonment, until the camp
was liberated by Russian forces in May 1945; Dr. Jones was
discharged from the military with the rank of major in 1946; and
WHEREAS, Following his return home to the Lone Star State,
W. T. Jones married his wife, Ada Mae, on August 25, 1945, and the
couple has since shared nearly seven rewarding decades together;
Dr. Jones went on to attend medical school from 1946 to 1950, and he
enjoyed a long and successful career in Baytown until his
retirement in 1985; and
WHEREAS, Dr. W. T. Jones embodies the highest ideals of the
U.S. armed forces and deserves the lasting respect and gratitude of
all Americans, and it is a privilege to commend him for his
outstanding contributions to his country and his community; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby honor Dr. Willis Thomas Jones Jr. for his brave
and steadfast service in this nation's behalf; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Dr. Jones as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.